Busways drivers to take further industrial action

TWU members at five Busways depots – Penrith, Blacktown, Windsor, Gosford and Wyong – will take further industrial action on Friday, 7 September.

This industrial action will again include a ban on the use of Opal card readers, meaning commuters will again experience a fare-free day on some journeys.

A one-hour stoppage of work will also commence at 12 noon.

Richard Olsen, State Secretary of the Transport Workers’ Union of NSW said “We’re very grateful for the support our drivers have received from the community since we went public with this dispute with the fare-free day on Monday”.

At the Friday meeting, members will discuss the possibility of taking further action next week, which may include:

·Stop-work meetings on Tuesday, 11 September

·Overtime bans, which may affect some weekend services

·Bans on drivers assisting with refuelling, which may affect some service times

While these potential stop-work times would be unlikely to affect school runs, we have nonetheless given notice to the relevant education authorities.

Richard Olsen said, “We are still trying as best as we can to avoid inconveniencing the public, but Busways’ continued refusal to offer a fair deal is leaving us with fewer options.

We hope that it won’t have to come to that. The ball is again in Busways’ court.”

TWU members have been trying to negotiate a fair deal since 2017, but Busways management has repeatedly rejected the majority of our log of claims. Until Busways is prepared to discuss a fair and respectful deal, members have no other option than to proceed with lawful industrial action.